When the hero (or at any rate the title character) of a play
has allies named Bushy, Bagot and Green, and his antagonist has pals named
Northumberland and Percy, there’s not much doubt as to who will come out on
top. And while Theater of the Expendable tips its hand by calling its
production Dick 2, it has also cast Jacob Ming-Trent as Richard, the king
who is in love with the sound of his own voice. Ming-Trent has a very strong
stage presence, so his Richard is not a weakling, but his downfall is that for
all his high-falutin’ language, he doesn’t actually say very much. Not a
terribly efficient way to run a country, especially with the charismatic Bullingbrooke
(the charismatic Alan McNaney) as
his rival. It’s not a matter of may-the-best-man-win, but whose slickness will
win more powerful followers, and who is going to turn out to be, well, just a
big dick.

But the sympathy factor is another matter, and it’s not as
clear-cut. The way the lawsuit of Bullingbrooke vs. Mobray (Alisha Soper) is handled reveals all of
the character deficiencies and strengths that will ultimately switch the power
structure, and history. Richard tries to be Solomon but doesn’t see how badly
he’s botched it, Bullingbrooke is still subservient but clearly won’t put up
with the sentence, and as Mobray, Soper is clear, concise, and ripe to be
swayed by whoever turns out to be stronger. The scene was also an example of
the clarity and good acting director Jesse Edward Rosbrow elicited from his
cast. Although the production was not uniformly smooth, scenes, sequences and
performances commanded attention.

Caitlin McColl’s
Dutchesse of Gloucester was a strong presence even as she was clearly bent out
of shape by events as they proceeded; Richard ‘humorously’ hoping that by the
time he gets to see John of Gaunt (Alexander
Yakovleff) it will be too late was matched by Gaunt’s letting him have it
with“Thou are landlord not king.”

McNaney’s Bullingbrooke was a strong presence, though in a
very different way from Ming-Trent’s Richard, and he will make a fine king.
Because of the way the stage was configured (a thrust area with audience on
three sides), much of his acting was pointed upstage, which makes sense
symbolically until Richard caves, and it’s to McNaney’s credit that he came
across so strongly anyway, even without declaiming to the audience.

The acting was good all around, with strong, clear speaking,
and clear feeling even when the words came tumbling too fast for complete
comprehension (Ming-Trent gave full vent to what is essentially an operatic
aria when Richard is unhinged). If there was a problem it was from what could
be called age-blind casting, with some confusion because the Duke of Yorke (Christopher Hardy) was younger than his
nephews Richard and Bullingbrooke, and perhaps a few of the bodies on stage
were more awkward than confident. While the costumes were mostly black, the
well-coordinated color coding of accessories (by Marta Tejada) helped show allegiances and style. The set was simply
a platform with one lonely chair that served as throne, but the emptiness
allowed discrete playing areas, and the large cast could assemble without
crowding. Lighting (designed by Alison
Cherry) was subtle and unobtrusive.

And while it was extremely tempting to draw current
political parallels (Dick? Bushy? Ineffectual leader?), this production didn’t
do it – not overtly anyway. If the audience did it, well, isn’t that what art
is for?